AI Discovers 303 New Nazca Lines in Peru, Revealing Ancient Civilization’s Complexity
The mysterious Nazca Lines, carved into the dry plains of Peru, have fascinated archaeologists and historians for years. Thanks to some recent tech breakthroughs, our understanding of these ancient geoglyphs has doubled. In just six months, AI technology has revealed 303 new geoglyphs in the Nazca Desert (a UNESCO World Heritage site), opening up a whole new chapter about a civilization that flourished between 200 BC and 650 AD.
The power of collaboration and technology
This amazing find came about through a joint effort between archaeologists at Yamagata University’s Institute of Nazca in Peru and scientists from IBM. They used AI to sift through aerial images and spot geoglyphs that had gone unnoticed before, featuring animals, plants, and even tools. This collaboration shows how using AI alongside traditional methods can speed up surveys to levels never seen before. As Professor Masato Sakai put it, “The ability to conduct the survey in such a short period was thanks to the use of AI.”
But it’s not just about working faster; AI helps spot patterns that might slip past even the sharpest human eyes. And this isn’t just happening in Peru—AI is now shaking up digs around the world, from burial mounds to shipwrecks, changing the game in how we explore the past.
How they used old-school methods
To create the Nazca Lines, people scraped away the topsoil to reveal the lighter earth underneath (a method that’s been studied for decades). Experts like Maria Reiche, a German mathematician and astronomer who dedicated her life to these lines, used to rely on ground surveys, photography, and manual mapping.
Now, archaeologists have added modern tech like photogrammetry and remote sensing into the mix. These tools let researchers map and analyze the lines with way more precision, shedding light on what these intriguing designs might have meant to the people who made them.
New perspectives on ancient rituals
The brand-new geoglyphs might have had multiple roles in Nazca society. Some scholars think they could have been part of ritual walkways or spiritual paths for ceremonies, while others see them as a form of artistic expression or cultural symbolism (reflecting the beliefs and practices of an ancient community).
By using AI to pinpoint new sites, archaeologists can test their ideas about the functions of these lines even better. This ongoing work gives us a richer picture of just how inventive and resourceful the Nazca people were.
What AI might bring to archaeology
As AI continues to move forward, its applications in digging up history are set to grow. Dr. Alexandra Karamitrou is leading the charge in creating AI tools designed to spot historical sites all over the globe. They can piece together complex relationships between different sites and the environments around them.
Back in 2023, AI was successfully used to analyze the Saruq Al Hadid site in the UAE, showing how versatile the technology can be regardless of the landscape or time period. While Dr. Karamitrou points out that AI still isn’t perfect and that human checks are necessary, she’s optimistic: “But in a few years’ time we might be able to develop algorithms with very good accuracy… helping people save time, energy, and money.”
Walking the tightrope with AI
Even with all its promise, AI isn’t without its hitches. Any predictions it makes need thorough manual review to be sure they’re right—a fact that experts like Dr. Karamitrou are quick to remind us of when they say, “AI isn’t perfect, especially in archaeology.” Yet, she remains upbeat about what the future holds, as improvements in these algorithms could soon save us time, energy, and money.
Discoveries made using AI not only add to our historical knowledge but also invite us to take a fascinating journey back through the ages—using today’s top-notch tools to uncover the shared story of humanity.